It’s been two years and four-ish months since the ladies of ABC Family’s Bunheads danced their way off of our screens (though never out of our hearts). So, what are the former residents of Paradise up to now?
That was one of the many questions fielded by the show’s creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, who was joined by three of its stars — Sutton Foster, Kelly Bishop and Stacey Oristano — on a panel at the ATX Television Festival on Friday.
“It was about dance and it was about teaching and it was about all these things I felt so passionately about … so it was a no-brainer,” Foster said of agreeing to play Michelle Simms, a part Palladino demanded she play after seeing her in Anything Goes. “I never wanted something so bad, and I worked really hard. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life.”
THE TAP-OFF THAT ALMOST WAS | While Michelle’s relationship with Fanny (Bishop) was arguably the heart of the series, her antagonistic banter with Oristano’s Truly — who carried an eternal torch for Michelle’s late husband Hubbell — also made their relationship a fan-favorite. But here’s a fun fact: it almost never happened.
“I didn’t actually audition for Truly,” Oristano revealed to stifled gasps from the audience. “I went out for her best friend. So I did two auditions with that, then a crazy crazy dance call and — bless Amy’s heart — after five hours at that dance call, Amy goes, ‘I think she can read for this other part.’ I was like, ‘Oh my God, yes! Please! Does that mean I get to stop dancing?'”
Speaking of which, Oristano spilled, “Amy actually got mad at me one time because she didn’t know I’m a tap dancer.”
“Not a f—ing word!” Palladino interjected. “I find out, not from her, but from [Foster], who said, ‘You know, Stacey’s a great tap dancer.’ I’m like, ‘F–k you!’
Added Foster, “We were pitching … a duet, a tap-off between [Michelle and Truly].” Sadly, it was not to be.
FORMING THE CORE FOUR | In addition to having to find the perfect actors to play her main four girls, Palladino said, “I needed a specific body type for each girl, because it was a part of the story. I wanted them to be going through something where a lot of their success was dependent on their body type. So I needed Sasha, who had to be beautiful, look like that ballerina, have that classic body type, have the technique and be able to do it, because she was the one who could do it all and didn’t give a s–t. I needed Boo, who had to not have the body type … but she had to have the technique. That was particularly difficult because I needed a rockstar dancer, someone who had it all, except she’s not two pounds. And thank God we found Kaitlyn [Jenkins].”
She continued, “Then I wanted someone very tall and lean [for Melanie], and I wanted someone with big boobs [for Ginny]. Of course, the minute I cast adorable little Bailey [De Young], she goes on a diet, and the first place she loses weight was in her t–ts. … I’m like, ‘What happened to her t–ts?’ Sometimes the first thing that goes is the boobs.”
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? | “I think Michelle definitely stayed in Paradise,” Foster said when asked about her character’s current whereabouts. “She really found a home there … with unexpected relationships and an unexpected family. I think it would have been nice for her to have found love, so that’s something we didn’t get the chance to delve into in that season. She had a fun fling with [Nathan Parsons’] Godot, which was fun, but the closest thing she had to love — in a weird way — was with Hubbell and Fanny. She found love and family with her, but it would have been nice to see her in a relationship.”
As for whether or not Fanny likely remained at the dance studio, Bishop didn’t hesitate before saying, “Yes, she would go on until the very, very end. … That is a dancer’s life. With dancers, I feel like it’s kind of a given that you pass the torch by teaching other people to dance. This is a completely natural thing for Fanny. I imagine that if Michelle found love, Fanny would be mad at her for being disloyal to Hubbell, or something really twisted like that.”
And Truly? “I think she marries [Scotty],” Oristano said. “She had such a crush!”
Ultimately, Palladino said she didn’t bother making too many plans for the show’s future, since the writing was on the wall long before word of the show’s cancellation finally came down from the network.
“We had some ideas, but we knew,” she said. “When you’re on a network that revolves around 13-year-old girls who haven’t menstruated yet, it’s tough to continue stories about life and emotion. It’s not really [ABC Family’s] game. Maybe that game will change, but at the time, they didn’t know what to do with us.”
Added Oristano, “We didn’t have the word ‘liars’ in the title.”
Bunheads fans, what are your favorite memories from the 18-episode series? Drop ’em in a comment below.
Of all the one-season wonders I’ve lamented over the years (going back to “My So-Called Life”), I think the premature demise of “Bunheads” wrankles the most. It’s not accidental that the cast can speculate about their characters’ future lives. The show depicted characters who crossed paths with unexpected consequence, and there were many many stories yet to tell about how these various (and varied) characters would affect each other and grow.
Firefly. Now and forever.
I loved Bunheads. It was such a fantastic show. I always wondered what it was doing on that channel. It should have been on the CW at least.
YES BRING IT BACK ON THE CW THAT WOULD BE GREAT!
I loved that show. It was so well-written, great casting & actors, too.
Reblogged this on The Television Watcher.
It was a hard show sometime to love but I miss it dearly.
I still miss this show.
No word given on where the DVD’s are?
No update, sadly. You’ll have to settle for iTunes for now.
Where is Netflix / Amazon / Hulu / Yahoo / DirecTV when you need them ?
Most of those platforms won’t bother with a one and done series.
Amazon Prime actually did have it for a little while though.
And you can still get it from Amazon Prime, but it’s not free to stream anymore.
Not true. Netflix has plenty of shows on right now that only got one season. Currently Starcrossed and Twisted.
There is nothing worse than having a great show on the wrong network. Not that Bunheads was ever a hit, but it’s funny how now most of ABCFamily’s series aren’t doing much better than Bunheads was at the time.
I loved ,, loved that show. There was nothing wrong with it. The acting, dancing, and writing were perfection. The only consolation is Sutton is on Younger. Hopefully, TV Land will be smarter than ABC Family!
They’re going to have a second season!!!
Younger, I mean.
I just found this gem because I searched for other shows that Sutton Foster is in after watching her on Younger on Hulu! She’s fantastic and the show is awesome! This show is equally awesome but in a different way. It’s very sharp and witty! It reminds me of Gilmore Girls or Hart of Dixie in the sense that it has rich, quirky and multi-dimensional characters that you just fall in love with! I’m so sad that it only went one season. There aren’t enough choices of clean shows without being bombarded by violence, propaganda, torrid sex scenes and drug use. Please bring this show back!
Oh Captain, my captain!!! <3 that moment so much!
My favourite moment was when Fanny takes an armful of candles and says, “sooo greedy”.
I just want the show BACK on the air. I loved it. We (myself, children, and grandchildren) are ALL dancers. The show helped to reinforce the need to practice, to prepare for class and to keep moving…that dace is everywhere. Everything you learn in dance class will be helpful to real life in the big world. If you feel it, dance it!
Loved when Sasha got her own apt. and had a Martha Stewart-worthy housewarming, but ended up at Michelle’s.
Is this series available on DVD???
Loved that show! Captain my captain and LOVED the Constantinople dance. Also the goodbye dance. Would buy it in a second if it came out on dvd
I once tweeted, “#Bunheads is smart, funny, sweet, beautiful and gifted. If it were a woman, I would marry her.” Still feel that way. (By the way, I’m a 66-year-old straight male who can’t dance for beans.)
My 17 year old daughter and I both loved the show-it had something for everyone. Plus it was genuine. And optimistic. And the writing was quick and smart and witty and relatable. We wrote letters and emails to no avail. I think you have to find a different network -PLEASE! !!!
I don’t have a favorite scene but I loved everything about the show–especially the banter between Michelle and Fanny. Was very disappointed when it was cancelled.
Reblogged this on Collections of a Manila College Student Who Is Perpetually Broke and commented:
Still completely devastated that this show was cancelled. Really loved Bunheads, and now I don’t know what to do with my life because I don’t know how their stories end. This is the worst feeling in the world, having no closure.
It was like a cheap, shopworn version of Gilmore Girls. And that ridiculous opening, with “Amy Sherman Palladino Presents”, like she was Martin Scorcese or seomthing.
I didn’t see it that way. I couldn’t stand Gilmore Girls and never have made it through a whole episode without wanting to damage my television. Bunheads was fun and the girls featured actually had talent.
One of the selling points of the show was that it was written by Palladino. While I haven’t always been a fan, she has the credits of numerous successes. Why shouldn’t her name be featured?
Thank you for sharing this interview. Bunheads was one of the smartest (and sweetest) shows around and I mourned its demise. All the kids were terrific actors, but I just loved Sutton Foster’s portrayal of Michelle and her tension with Kelly Bishop’s Fanny.
It was such a great show, it was always fun to play “find the Gilmore Girls alumni”. Maybe if the show came out on another network…I will always watch whatever Amy is writing.
I had really enjoyed watching this show with my mom and sister, and reading articles like this reminds me of how much I miss it. What a shame. RIP Bunheads.
Loved that show.. so sad it ended so soon… Kept waiting for Luke and Lorelai to pass through Paradise and Lorelai would see the resemblance in the characters but Luke wouldn’t, and of course think she had too much coffee.. miss both shows
Very funny — and apt..
I miss Bunheads. The entire first season was my favorite part!!!!